Spring device or power shaft coupling.



W. PERRY da A. S. JONES.

SPRING DRIVE 0R PQWER SHAFT GOUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 24, 1910.

L02420. Patented Apr. 23, 1912.

r Y gllllllllllllllek for the transmission in UNITED STATES PATNy j FIC WILLIAIVI PERRY'AND lALBAN SHORT J'ONES7 OF GARDEN HILL WOLLONGON Gr, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA, ASSIGNORS TQ TI-IE HELL-CUSHION DRIVE LIMITED,

0F SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA.

SPRING DRIVE OR POWER SHAFTA CIO-Ul'LINGr.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented apr. as, ieia.

Application filed October 24, 1910. Serial No. 588,878.

To all 'whom t may concern.'

Be it known that we, VILLIAM PERRY and ALBAN SHORT JONES, subjectsv of the King of Great Britain, residing vat Garden Hill lVollongong, in the State of New South Wales and Commonwealth of Australia, have invented a new and useful Improved Spring Drive or Power Shaft Coupling, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a coupling for connecting the driving end of a power shaft to the driven end of same in such a way that the power will be transmitted elastically and without shock to such driven end, and in motion all shocks and jerks will be minimized. And this invention though useful a direct line of drivadapted for 'connecting power is especially propeller or Cardan shaft ,of autoing up the mobiles.

The general objects of the present invention are strength; simplicity, durability, compact-ness and inexpensiveness of construction; and effectiveness of operation.

One of the more particular objects of the invention is to devise a construction having a small number of parts and in which a single spring may be employed for cushioning the drive equally, well in either direction of rotation.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear. 'j

The invention includes a coupling member having screw-threaded engagement with one shaft but mounted to rotate with while having a longitudinally-sliding connection with another alined shaft, the coupling mem*- ber carrying a spring which is arranged to receive and resiliently transmit Arotative driving strain or torque in either direction of alined shafts, the tension of the spring being increased by screw movement in either direction between the screw-threaded Yshaft andthe cooperative coupling member This improved spring drive or power shaft -coupling more particularly .comprises four main parts: (a) a screw, thread or threads on the one en d of a shaft, say the driving shaft, (b) corresponding female screw ,threads in a coupling member part or a helical spring in a second rotation from one to the other of'the` coupling member part or spring containing box connected to the meeting or driven shaft and receiving the thrust between the driving and driven shafts, and (d) a slidable nonrevolving connection of the screw and spring boxes to the said driven shaft.

The invention also includes other features of,construction and combinations of parts, as will appear from the following description, But in order that this invention may be clearly understood the same will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings, accompanying and forming part of this complete specification and illustrating this improved spring drive or power shaft coupling,especially suitablefor insertion in the propeller or Cardan shaftof a motor car. j

Figure 1 shows the drive or coupling complete in perspective. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the same in normal position, and Figs. 3 and 4 are similar views in the goahead and go-a-stern Astarting positions respectively.

The driving shaft 5 has omits end a plural or compound thread male screw 6 and bears against a ball bearing disk 7 while the driven shaft 8 has a square or other suitable orifice 9" adapted to receive a corresponding squared projection l0 on the spring box 11 (although this arrangement might be reversed) to which is bolted or otherwise affixed the screw box ed or nut or female threadmember 1-2, in which the male screw 6 is adapted to travel, these two parts constitutmg a tubular coupling member. The helical compression spring 13 bears against a disk 14 with a ball bearing between said disk 14 and the disk 7 and also bears against a disk 15 abutting against a shoulder of its box 11, the adjacent end of the screw-box 12 fo-rming a similar opposed shoulder for the disk 7. The disk 15 is retained and the tension of the spring is secured by a nut 17 on a stem 16 projecting from the driving shaft 5 beyond the screw 6. Dust covers' 18 and 19 are preferably used as shown.

Though not an essential to the success of the invention a stop collar 20 is carried byy the shaft 5 and has abutment, on the turning of the shaft 5, against the end of the.

screw box 12 in one direction and against the end of the dust cover 19 in the opposite direction of revolution, and thereby relieves the spring against excessive compression.

In operation when power is applied to shaft 5 as in starting a car, the screw 6 travels along the boxes 1l and 12 either from or toward the shaft 8, according to the direction of drive, in either case compressing the spring 13 (see Figs. 3 and 4) but not farther than stop collar 20 will allow and so allowing the motion of said shaft 5 to be communicated gradually and without shock, and elastically, to the shaft 8. And as one or other of the shafts 5 and 8 might overrun or retard on the other the spring will Vlikewise be compressed and take up without shock or jerk, and elastically, the difference in speed.

Having now fully described and ascertained our said invention and the manner in which it is to be performed, we declare that what we claim is l. A rot-atively cushioning shaft coupling comprising alined shafts, a coupling member havingA movable screw-threaded connecf tion with one of the shafts and mounted to slide along and to rotate with the other shaft, and a spring cooperative with the screw-threaded shaft and with the coupling member and arranged to receive and to resiliently transmit the rotative driving strain in either direction of rot-ation. of the rota'- l tively coupled shafts.

2. A rotatively cushioning shaft couplingl comprising alined shafts, a coupling member having movable screw-threaded connection with one of the' shafts and mounted to slide along and to rotate with the other shaft, a spring coperative with the screwthreaded shaft and withthe coupling member, vand means for increasing the tension of the spring by reason of screw movement in either direction between the screw-threaded shaft and the coupling member.

3. 'A rotatively cushioning shaft coupling comprising an externally screw-threaded shaft, an internally screw-threaded tubular member inovably receiving the screwthreaded shaft, aA compression spring surthe shaft within the tubular memthe spring, the tubular member having abutment shoulders also confining the spring, whereby screw movement between the shaft and the tubular member in either direction will compress the spring7 .by the and a second shaft in alinement with the i'irst and rotatively connected to the tubular member.

4. A rotatively cushioning shaft coupling comprising alined shafts one of which is externally screw-threaded, a two-part tubular coupling member lhaving internal -opposed shoulders and one of the parts having internal screw threads movably receiving the external screw threads of the screwthreaded shaft and. the other part constituting a'springcontaining box, means for rigidly securing together the parts of the coupling member, a spring-receiving stem project-ing beyond thescrew-threaded portion of the screw-threaded shaft and into the spring-containing box, springelimiting abutments carried by the stem, a coiled thrust spring surrounding the stem and copera tive with the abut-ments and with the opposed shoulders so as to be compressed by screw movement in either direction between the screw-threaded shaft and the screwthreaded part of the coupling member, and means for connecting the spring-containing box and the other shaft to rotate together and to relatively slide longitudinally t0 provide for the thrust of the screw in compressing the spring. p

5. A rotatively cushioning shaft coupling comprising alined shafts, a tubular coupling member Ahaving movable screw-threaded connection with one of the shafts and mounted to slide alon and to rotate with the other shaft, a spring cooperative with the screw-threaded shaft and withi the coupling member and arranged to receive and to resiliently transmit the rotative driving strain in either rotatively coupled shafts, a dust cover carried by each end of the coupling member and protecting the joints between the shafts andthe coupling member, and a stop carried screw-threaded shaft and coperative with the adjacent end of the coupling member and the corresponding dust cover to limit the tension ofv the spring.

*j In testimony whereof wehave signedour names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM PERRY. ALBAN siionr JoNEs.

Witnesses PERcY NEWELL, D. EDWARDS.

direction of rot-ation of the v. I 

